Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Former Buckeye Linebacker Ryan Shazier

The Pittsburgh Steelers used their first round draft pick to select linebacker Ryan Shazier as the 15th overall pick in the 2014 National Football League Draft.

The 2013 AP All-American linebacker led the Big Ten with 143 tackles for the Buckeyes and elected to bypass his last year of eligibility at Ohio State.

The Buckeye football records rank him sixth overall in solo tackles and 15th overall in total tackles.

He received the defensive player of the week award in the conference five times during his college football career and tied a Big Ten record with this third when he was a junior. He won the Lott IMPACT Trophy as the top player in the nation twice, with the first coming for scoring two sacks and seven tackles against Perdue and the second when he forced Illinois to fumble and scored 16 tackles in the Buckeye's game against the Fighting Illini.

He started in every game during the Buckeye's undefeated season when he played as a sophomore and led the squad with 115 total tackles.

In Pittsburgh, Shazier will add his talents to an experienced crew of linebackers, led by Lawrence Timmons, who pummeled the opposition with 126 tackles during the 2013 NFL season. Shazier will be playing the 2014 season with four other former OSU players on the Steeler's roster as he joins a squad that includes defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, safety Will Allen and offensive linemen Bryant Browning and Mike Adams.

Pittsburgh will play its first game of the 2014 season against Cleveland on Sept 7 in their hometown.